Typical Ugandan operator by Richard Tusasibwe
Gatatu Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Tour Types:
- Budget & mid-range tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $65 to $710 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
AR
Email Martin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unique thoughtfulnes
Richard and Steve are an incredible duo. Not only they delivered on all the expectations around the Gorilla trekking, but also they went above and beyond by taking me out to local restaurants in their spare time.
This will make your Uganda experience significantly better
Reply from Gatatu Safaris
Posted on Oct 20, 2018Thank you, was great booking with us and was our pleasure to give you our best experience in Uganda, we are here to help with all your questions and booking and finally gorilla tracking is a life time experience.
Thank you again for sharing your good experience globally!
Richard
US
Email Thomas Mell | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Luxurious Primate Experience
Gatatu Safari is a Ugandan based locally ran tour company. The communication with the owner (Richard) is phenomenal. Richard will answer all your questions and change anything and everything you like. He will work with you on customizing everything of preference from activities to lodging upgrades (tents, deluxe rooms, lodges, etc.) He answers most e-mails the same day. Also, the prices they offer can not be beat. We stayed in luxury lodges and Gatatu was the only company that offered them in our price range. The best part about the company is that the owner (Richard) has a degree in social work and he started a school to help children. He uses a portion of the profits from his company to help fund the school and support the children. So, you can feel really good about supporting this tour company as the money does not feed into some euro-based big business. This is also why I believe you will find the best prices here. Note that since the company is not a Euro-business, they do not accept credit card at this time. Payments are made via wire transfer, if this worries you please feel free to contact me or Gatatu can put you in contact with my facebook to confirm your money is safe (and also check out some tour photos)! Working with Gatatu was very professional. They picked us up where we requested right on time and we were dropped off to our exiting destination promptly. Vehicle, safari guide/driver, and bookings were all as promised. All-in-all we were very happy with our tour. We have many recommendations if needed about activities and lodges. I would say your best bet for Primates is through Gatatu as many other companies have a significant mark-up. Gatatu will make sure you get the most for your money.
PL
Email Justyna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience
We had very good experience with this operator. They organized for us the gorilla trek and transfer to Kigali. Richard was always very responsive and went an extra mile to help us with additional things like buying bus tickets or arranging lodge transfer. Thank you very much Gatatu crew, you rock!
Fantastic trip
GATATU Safari was very professional and kind . Ready to solve immediately all the problem that can occur when you travel in country like Uganda , still not perfectly turistized . All the accommodation were excellent (o obviously in relation what the place can offer), in particular Lake Bunyonyi was an amazing place with stunning views on the lake . Of course Gorilla experience was fantastic even if very hard ( you must be really in a god shape to walk on steep and steep slopes for five/six hours but ...... view the Gorilla repays you abundantly the efforts
Email Mike | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great & friendly service
Richard and Steven were great, and provided everything we needed for a fantastic one day gorilla trek. They allowed flexible pick up and drop off,which made it very easy to fit into our trip. Highly trustworthy and friendly, would definitely use again and recommended to anyone.
Email Kate Ruscoe | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent safari! 100% Ugandan owned and operated!
My self, partner and mother had an amazing experience with Gatatu safaris. We did a 9 day safari to see the gorillas, chimps, Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison Falls and the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
All of the preplanning with Richard was professionally organised. He would always reply to emails as soon as possible and I was very impressed with the level of his service.
The safari itself was budget but there were touches of luxury thrown in there. It was super flexible and we were most impressed with our guide Steven. He was a great guide, a fantastic driver where we were made to feel safe and he took all feedback onboard quickly and professionally. He made sure the vehicle was tidied and washed every day which was a nice touch.
All of the accomodations and meal choices were great and Steven went above and beyond to make our trip special and to ensure we were happy at all times.
The only thing I could make improvements on if there could be a pair of binoculars in the vehicle for guests to use. But we will make sure we bring our own next time.
We were happy to put our payments into a company that is 100% Ugandan owed and operated. No part of our money was going to an overseas travel operator. I feel happy that we have supported a local operator and all of our funds have gone to suppliers owned and run in Uganda.
We hope to be back one day and we will tell our friends what an amazing company Gatatu is to see the Big 5 and much more with!
Thank you for helping us make wonderful lasting memories,
Kate, Mike and Rebecca
TR
Email Onur Cagan Aygun | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing professional tour agency with really good guides
It was so good to have trip with Gatatu Safaris in Uganda & Rwanda...
Their guides are really professional, we had group tour with them and they took care of everything.
I highly recommended this amazing company to see most beautiful mountain gorillas in their wild lifes.
VN
Email Ngoc Nguyen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An experience that I won't forget
What an amazing experience I had in Uganda! The communication with Richard went smoothly. He answered patiently and promptly every question I asked. Steven was a very experienced driver. He always wanted to make sure that I enjoy the trip and that if everything is ok. He mastered the rocky roads like no other. The meeting with the gorillas was unforgettable too. I got to see the whole family of gorillas which was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. The rangers were extremely helpful. They always made sure that I can get the best angle to make photos of the gorillas.
After the tour, Steven even took me to the border with Rwanda and organized for me a taxi to go to Kigali.
And I'm really glad to be the first Vietnamese to ever have booked a tour with Gatatu.
Richard, Steven and the tour itself had definitely made a good impression on Uganda and its people. That was ad adventure that I will never forget.
Email Sarah C | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gatatu: gold star service
A tailor-made day trip to Lake Mburo in Nov '16 proved highly enjoyable - as always with Gatatu. Excellent planning + communication. We set off early from Kabale and reached Mbarara for breakfast at a well-chosen motel. The combination of local knowledge and intercultural skills guaranteed real insights into not just the flora + fauna of a lesser-known national park (beautiful landscape), but also into the Bugandan heritage. I just loved the Ankole cattle! This was my fifth trip with Gatatu and I took the best photographs to date. The zebras, especially, were stunning but I also got fab shots of Ugandan cranes for the first time. A 64 year old widow, I travel the world independently, but return again and again to Uganda because the experience is so authentic, moving and humbling.
IN
Email Dhruv | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent time with Gatatu
Richard was great through the booking process. Steven, our driver/guide was excellent. He was accommodating to all our requests and showed us a really good time. Overall a very good experience. Id recommend using Gatatu and supporting local safari tour operators.